Advertisement
Olympic surfing
Pippy Toledo, king of Teahupoo and the breakout Olympian of the 2024 Paris Games.

“Absolutely sad” Pro surfing erupts after shock rule change to 2028 LA Games qualification 

"Total disrespect to the surfers on the WSL and wish you guys would have talked with us before making this decision."

Pro surfers, and by pro surfers the guns on the Championship Tour, which includes the world champ Yago Dora, are furious tonight after the International Surfing Association slashed the number of Olympic qualifiers coming out of the CT from ten to five, with only one competitor per nation instead of two.

There’ll be 24 men, 24 gals and each country can qualify up to three surfers per gender, through the multiple pathways, which includes ISA contests and regional events. 

These surfers on the Championship Tour, whose careers are already doomed to a pitiful shortness, and are acutely aware of Kauli Vaast’s fame after his gold medal, lit up on the ISA’s Instagram account. 

Yago Dora: Complete disrespect on the way you guys conducted this absolutely sad for our sport and future generations of surfers.

João Chianca: Sad to see that ! It’s crazy to see that you guys from @isasurfing always act behind our backs (tour surfers ) and came up with the most unfair qualifying system ! Not respecting our opinions and managing this Olympic opportunity so badly.

Erin Brooks: Consistency at the highest level is what defines competitive surfing. The @wsl Championship Tour is where that happens, and the @olympics qualification pathway should more strongly reflect that.

Leo Fioravanti: Completely disagree with this qualification system. The qualification system in the last 2 Olympics worked perfect. Having 10 surfers from the @wsl world tour was the best way to make sure the best surfers in the world made it to the Olympics.

Now the 2027 WSL world champion isn’t event guaranteed to compete in the Olympics To be clear, on behalf of the WSL surfers, we tried to communicate with the ISA to find the best solution for everyone but the ISA was not willing to work with any of the WSL surfers.

I don’t think this is the way to move forward and make our sport better not only for our generation but for future generations.

Lakey Peterson: What a bummer to see this. Total disrespect to the surfers on the WSL and wish you guys would have talked with us before making this decision, as we tried to have meetings several times with you guys and you canceled, going behind our backs and not allowing an open line of communication to the Surfers who’s lives are effected by this. This is so bad for the surfers and the sport.

No sign of breakout Olympian Filipe Toledo.

Chas Smith remembers Filipe Toledo's 16-hour reign as King of Teahupoo

I think kinda cute to force the major players into the steaming, stinking, sewer-vapourous, soul-smiting hell of regional events and the ISA Games.

You?

0 0 votes
Article Rating

Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.

Join the discussion

Your comments are still here. Every one of them.

Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.

Unclaimed
Handle
Comments
Posting since

Connect Disqus to reveal.

Subscribe
Notify of
52 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
John Smith

If you are really mad about it, boycott.

Candela Director Creativo

Kirsty CoventryElected in March 2025 as the tenth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), she is a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe who also has a strong connection to surfing. She served as vice president of the International Surfing Association (ISA) between 2017 and 2024.

7dollarsurfboard

Where were all these outspoken WSL surfers when they changed the format to that final 5 and mid-year cut?

Sean Connery

A couple of my wifes friends husbands are on the jab. They are your quintessential lazy fat fucks. Hate breaking a sweat unless its to get another glazz of sav blanc or an oreo. I just look at the wives and think to myself….you sure had some low standards.

Capt Sensible

Surfing in the Olympics is so yesterday, why do these so-called “Pros” GAF anyway , I thought the world title was supposed to be the pinnacle of competitive surfing , is that off the boil now as well ?

Local Sewage Pipe

Came here to say this, take surfing out of da olympics.

Keith Grace

Listen to Terje.

RQ.

hahahahaha

Occy's Nostril

Boo hoo… Dont the CT retards get 6 to 8 months off betwwen tour events? Go and qualify ya sooks. Wonder who will be surfing for what Country this time around???? I hear Connor Oleary now identifies as a Leprecorn and may surf for Ireland. Think its him and that jockey Micro Hall…

Barnycle

Anyone else catch Dooma telling Dane Reynolds that he used Ozempic to drop 30lbs and that Dane should try it, if he no longer wants to work out?

Brutus

so dooma told Dane he’s a fat fuck?

Barnycle

Dane was talking about how he stopped drinking beer and started working out for 3 months because he got injured and was a fat fuck. But that he no longer could find the time to work out. (Which is horse shit).

So dooma suggested the jabs.

Joe_Turpel's_Unbearable_Drivel

Griff’s Dad, Mitch, is an incredible waterman himself.

He sometimes jokes that he actually prefers surfing WITHOUT Griff in the line up – just so he can get more waves for himself!

Kaipo’s hanging out on the Bailey’s Ladder leaderboard… watchya up to, Kaips?

Skippy

cool story bro

Joe_Turpel's_Unbearable_Drivel

We all just call him ‘Snips’. It just stuck from when he was first on tour and I think he kinda likes it now!

You’ll see him just hanging out in the contest area, you say, ‘hey Snips’, and he’ll just smile.

Corey Webster

A bunch of ISA surfers at Trestles is going to be the most boring shit ever. K. Vaast might have won the gold in Tahiti but the only person viewers still remember is Gabriel Medina. The ISA contests are so nauseatingly bad. They’re a joke. Surfing doesn’t need the Olympics. Surfing definitely doesn’t need the ISA.

Gwen Walz’s Eyes

Lowers is probably more consistent than Bowls. Better chance of scoring plus lefts and rights

FL Skunk Ape

An Olympic gold medal for one’s country is the pinnacle for anyone’s career in sports and love it or hate it, tour has THE world’s best surfers. It’s a power play to force CT talent to surf in ISA events.

And did Lakey use ‘effected’ on purpose? Or did she mean ‘affected’. Changes the meaning of that sentence.

Barrelled

It might be a usual Dez typo but Lakey isnt overly educated so could be her.

Sean Connery

The funny thing is she has a o% chance of getting into olympics.

FL Skunk Ape

Sure, but that doesn’t mean she can’t advocate for her peers. Or is it piers?

Barnycle

I’ve seen on social media that many yanks use effected and affected the complete opposite way that I was taught (in a British-based education system)

I’ve asked about it and been told that they’re now interchangeable in american english.

FL Skunk Ape

Well as you have seen, many yanks not the brightest bulbs in the batch. I have not heard of such a thing myself. Maybe an expert can chime in?

Barnycle

This might be one for Google or Professor YouTube

FL Skunk Ape

Well – one is a noun and the other is a verb. By definition they cannot be used interchangeably.

Rocks local

just another sinister plot to get Ke11y in the Olympiad

Firelipe Torpedo
Rocks local

try not to think of kanoa at any moment ha, but national anthem works when I need to slow down

deeks

I suggest they form a union . Not like your pussy arsed u.s. unions but a union like the CFMEU.
no entertainment when it rains. Nor when it gets over 35° . Barbies on a Friday and a rostered day off every 2nd week

Barnycle

Lol at the idea of having every second Friday off.

What do they call it? 9-80?

The international oil companies had this practice over in these parts. Always found it to be an interesting idea.

Sean Connery

Come on mate. Give them a break and let them enjoy there time off. They have such a stressful long year of competing and they are only just into their 6th month off.

@TheRealJackMeoff

Funny cause it kind of gets me off…

Sellme fitzgobbins

Erin’s sounds bummed her pathway included becoming Canadian

Juan Juan Floordance

Her only pathway leads to OnlyFans.

Barnycle

OnlyChristians

deeks

OnlyFanatics

Beef & Beer

Me ?
I really couldn’t give a rats arse about it

Too busy hanging out with strippers dancers in preparation for judging the bikini comp on the BG tour…


52
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x